Imagine a lake, stream or river that you love. Or perhaps rely upon for your drinking water or livelihood. That’s what the current government consultations on a new Water Sustainability Act are about – that, and is the government doing enough to protect our lakes, streams and wetlands. It may seem like BC has an abundance of fresh water, but
Environmental Law Alert Blog
Through our Environmental Law Alert blog, West Coast keeps you up to date on the latest developments and issues in environmental law. This includes:
- proposed changes to the law that will weaken, or strengthen, environmental protection;
- stories and situations where existing environmental laws are failing to protect the environment; and
- emerging legal strategies that could be used to protect our environment.
If you have an environmental story that we should hear about, please e-mail Andrew Gage. We welcome your comments on any of the posts to this blog – but please keep in mind our policies on comments.
The government is currently consulting on bylaws that would continue to allow cosmetic pesticide use, as long as commercial lawn care companies or other licensed applicators apply the pesticides. British Columbians have repeatedly called for a ban on pesticides used for cosmetic purposes, and the government needs to hear that message again.
Local government elections should be about communities discussing their problems, and electing people who will address those problems. Making a home-made lawn-sign or printing a few leaflets should be a basic right.
As anyone who has worked in environmental or social justice knows, sometimes change takes a very, very long time, somewhat like a glacier carving out a valley.
British Columbians have been waiting for a new Water Act (our current one is 104 years old and has its problems), and now that wait may be finally coming to an end w
Recently we asked our readers to write to the Commission on Environmental Cooperation (CEC) to talk about their concerns with the Canadian government’s actions in dismantling our environmental laws in omnibus budget bills (Bills C-38 and C-45). Well, now we’re taking those concerns to Washingt
Last Tuesday (October 8th), the Province paper had an important story – Environment ministry continues to shield Water Act violators – about the Ministry of Environment’s refusal to identify companies
Recently the BC Water and Waste Association (BCWWA) posted a video of a short talk that West Coast Staff Lawyer, Deborah Carlson, gave last June to their Climate Change Committee. The talk, which is intended to be a firs
The Nobel Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released the first of 4 reports that make up its 5th Assessment Report. This first report documents t
The Yinka Dene Alliance (YDA), a group of First Nations whose territories cover 25 percent of Enbridge’s propose